Deutsche Bahn use the UIC standard designations for freight cars, with a few non-standard extensions. They work a little like Deutsche Bahn passenger car designations: a capital letter as the type code, and one or more affixed lower-case letters as flags indicating the presence of special features. Unlike with passenger car designations, the flag letters are always appended in alphabetical order.

Type codes

• E -- standard open boxcar
• F -- nonstandard open boxcar
• G -- standard closed boxcar
• H -- nonstandard closed boxcar
• I -- temperature-controlled closed boxcar (with ice boxes and fan)
• K -- standard flat-top car
• L -- nonstandard flat-top car
• O -- boxcar/flat-top hybrid
• R -- standard flat-top car on bogies
• S -- nonstandard flat-top car on bogies
• T -- closed boxcar with removable or openable roof
• U -- nonstandard car that doesn't fit categories F, H, L, S or Z
• Z -- tank car

Affixed flags

(The long and convoluted definitions have been foreshortened and simplified somewhat. "a" through "ss" are internationally standardised, "t" through "zz" are Deutsche Bahn specific.)

• a -- with E or G: four axles; with F, H, I, T, U or Z: indicates four axles or a car on bogies; with L: indicates three axles or a car on bogies; with O: three axles; with S: six or more axles
• aa -- with E, F, G, H, I, T, U or Z: six axles or more; with L: four axles if single car, if not: indicates wagon unit; with S: eight axles or more
• b -- with F, G or H: large-volume car; with I: large-floor car; with K: long stakes; with L or S: car for pa containers; with R: long car; with T: large or large-doored car
• bb -- with H: very large-volume car; with I: very large-floor car
• c -- with E: can discharge through flaps in the floor; with F: can discharge by gravity, though in a regulatable fashion; with H or T: has doors in front and back; with I: has meat hooks; with L or S: has pivot; with U or Z: can be discharged under pressure
• cc -- with F: like "c", but with low-level flaps; with H: like "c", but allows for transporting autos
• d -- with H: has flaps in floor; with I: allows for sea fish; with L: one-decker, allows for transporting autos; with S: can carry road vehicles; with T or U: can discharge by gravity
• dd -- with T or U: like "d", but with low-level flaps
• e -- with F, H, T or U: unit consists of three elements; with H: double-decker; with I: electric fan; with L: double-decker for auto transporting; with R: foldable sides; with S: multi-decker for auto transporting; with T: high doors; with Z: heatable
• ee -- with H: three-decker or more; with articulated F, H, I, T, U units: consists of four or more elements
• f -- enabled for traffic to/from Great Britain
• ff -- like "f", but transit is allowed only through the Channel Tunnel
• fff -- like "f", but transit only by ferryboat
• g -- with G, H, T or U: suitable for grain; with I: actively cooled; with K or R: container-capable; with L: container-capable except for pa containers; with S: container-capable for 60-ft overseas containers, but not pa containers; with Z: suitable for transporting compressed, liquified or dissolved gas
• gg -- with I: like "g", liquid-gas-powered cooler; with S: about the same as "gg"
• h -- with G or H: suitable for young vegetables; with I: IR-class insulated; with L, R, S or T: suitable for horizontally-loaded coils of sheet metal
• hh -- with L, R, S or T: suitable for vertically-loaded coils of sheet metal
• i -- with H or T: removable or openable sides; with I: cooler powered from a machine car; with K, L, R or S: movable cover and fixed sides; with U: loads objects that would normally exceed the profile; with Z: non-metal tank
• ii -- with I: machine car for powering Ii cars
• j -- with K, L, R, S, T or Z: with shock absorbers
• k -- loads less than usual
• k -- loads a little less than usual
• l -- with E: can't be tipped sidewards; with F, T or U: can discharge rapidly by gravity; with G: less than eight ventilation openings; with H: with movable compartment separators; with I: insulated, but no ice boxes; with K, L, O, R or S: no stakes
• ll -- with F, T or U: like "l", but low-level flaps; with H: like "l" with lockable separators
• m -- shorter than usual
• mm -- much shorter than usual
• n -- loads more than usual
• o -- with E: doesn't tip forward; with F, T or U: can discharge rapidly by gravity through flaps in the middle; with G or H: short, but large volume; with I: smaller-than-usual ice boxes; with K, O and single L cars: fixed walls; with articulated or multipart L, S or Z cars: unit consists of three elements; with S: articulated car with three bogies (two axles each)
• oo -- with F, T or U: same as "o", but low-level flaps; with L, S or Z: if articulated: a unit consists of four elements; with R: fixed walls at least 2 m in height
• p -- with F, T or U: same as "o", but regulatable discharge; with I: no floor grille; with K, L and S: no sideboards; with R: no boards at front and back
• pp -- with F, T or U: same as "p", but low-level flaps; with K or R: removable walls
• q -- electric heating
• qq -- multisystem electric heating
• r -- with F, H, I, S, T, U or Z: articulated vehicle; with L: longer than usual
• rr -- multi-part wagon unit
• s -- capable of 100 km/h top speed
• ss -- capable of 120 km/h top speed
• t -- with E: kitchen car; with L: narrow front/back loading width; with R: three fixed sets of high stakes; with Roo: low stake holders and variable distance between stakes; with S: special holder for narrow sheet metal coils
• tt -- with Hbi: large-profile boxcar with lockable separator
• u -- with G, H, I, K, L and T: steam-heated car; with R: long car; with Samm: all boards fold away; with Shi/Sahi: rubber-coated pits
• v -- with G or H: 1 kV or 1.5 kV heating line present; with T: food transport only
• w -- with G, H or S: complete anti-spark cover; with R: container-capable
• ww -- anti-spark equipment
• x -- with E: steel floor; with H: two reinforced lockable separators; with K: used in internal service; with S: has swiveling frame for "acts" containers
• y -- with H and S: suitable for top speeds of 160 km/h; with T or U: special coat of paint on inner sides
• z -- with F: dumper car; with H: car for Leig units; with I: car with "Cool Vent" equipment; with R: loading length 21.0 metres; with T: can serve as Tds or Tdgs
• zz -- with Fa: steam-heated; with Fb: "Kübelwagen"